Diemalsocametotheconclusionthatthe‘nationinarms’wouldbeaproper
solutiontothechallengesfacedbytheirnations.¹⁴⁴
AccordingtoBecker,Diemcanbeseenasasympathizerofa‘syntheticmil-
itarism’¹⁴⁵andanunreflectedconservativism.¹⁴⁶Apartfromhiscareerasasport
official,Diem(likeSelimSırrı)alsostartedworkingfordifferentsportmagazines
andnewspapers,whichonlyenlargedtheinfluenceofhisideasonthoseactive
insuchcircles.In1908,paralleltothebeginningBoyScoutmovement,Diem
waselectedastheheadoftheprivateGermanCentralauthorityforSport(Deut-
scheZentralbehördefürSport),acentralizedorganizationdevotedtothestand-
ardizationofsportsassociationsintheentireGermanEmpire.Diemwasalsoap-
pointedtotheexecutivecommitteeoftheBundJungdeutschland(BJD)in 1911
andworkedasaneditorfortheJungdeutschland-Post.¹⁴⁷
HewasinclosecontactwithColmarvonderGoltzandassistedtheoldfield
marshalasanaidedecampanddriverduringseveraljourneysthroughoutGer-
many.DiembenefittedfromthesupportoftheGermanmilitary,notleastinfi-
nancialregards.IntheBJD,Diemcontributedtowinningpoliticallyundeter-
minedyoungmenfornationalandconservativeideas,thereforepropagating
(likeSelimSırrı)thatnationswhichwouldnotcareforamilitarizededucation
weredoomedtodecline.¹⁴⁸IntheseyearsDiemmusthavealsometHeinrich
vonHoff,mostlikelyatleastonceduringthelastBJDmeetinginStuttgart
priortothewarinMay1 91 4.¹⁴⁹
ItisinterestingtonotethatDiemhidhiscommitmenttotheBJDafter
194 5,¹⁵⁰justlikeSelimSırrıexcludedhisyearsintheOsmanliGençDernekleri
inhis 1946 memoirs.¹⁵¹Onthesegroundwecanstatethatitislikelythatboth
menwereembarrassedoratleastinconveniencedbytheirearlierparticipation
ForSelimSırrı’s1 915 statementregardingthe‘nationinarms’seeAkmeşe,TheBirthof
ModernTurkey,1 68 ;CarlDiem,“SportundVaterland”(1915),reprintedinOlympischeFlamme
vol3:OrganisationundPraxis,ed.CarlDiem(Berlin:DeutscherArchiv-Verlag,1 94 2),1 61 8.
Becker,CarlDiemsLeben,vol. 1 ,73.
Becker,CarlDiemsLeben,vol. 1 ,74.
Becker,CarlDiemsLeben,vol. 1 ,1 35 ,1 55.
Becker,CarlDiemsLeben,vol. 1 ,1 29 ;cf.SelimSirriinTedrisatMecmuası 5 – 1(Mart 1331 /
1915), 15.
Bothmenwerespeakersattheverysameconference;seetheitineraryinPädagogisches
Archiv:MonatsschriftfürErziehung,UnterrichtundWissenschaft 56 (1914), 31 4.
Becker,CarlDiemsLeben,vol. 1 ,1 30.
Tarcan,Hatıralarım.
DiemandthePurposeofSport:Militarization 133